by Thomas Frank
First published 2016
Thomas Frank investigates the modern Democratic Party and finds it has strayed from its traditional mission. The author of What's the Matter With Kansas turns his attention to liberals themselves. Frank argues that Democrats have failed to expand opportunity, fight for social justice, or secure fair deals for workers despite controlling the White House for sixteen of twenty four recent years. During this period, the middle class continued its decline while Wall Street received bailouts and wages fell. Frank traces how corporate and cultural elitism replaced the party's working class roots. This shift benefited certain favored groups but pushed the nation toward greater inequality. Frank calls on Democrats to return to their historic goals as the only path to bridge America's growing divide between rich and poor.
Genres: american, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism, social-commentary
Setting: America, Wall Street
Period: 21st Century
320 pages · Hardcover · Metropolitan Books